Where did your South Bend lathe come from?

It seems with lathes there comes stories, and the South Bend serial number/date of shipping info is certainly the start of a long and interesting one, but in many cases it’s likely an incomplete one all the same.

In terms of more recent history (be it from a school, a factory, some barn, a Navy vessel, or who knows?) where did your lathe come to you from?

Mine followed me home from the production facility of an industrial air horn manufacturer that has been in business for over 100 years.

Some dude who had it on Craigslist. Story he told me was that it came from a DuPont facility where it was used for winding coils. I don't know that I buy that, its got too much wear on it for something that was only a winding machine.

My 10L came from a guy who rebuilds machinery for fun (?) The bed--the part with the serial number--was originally delivered to the Packard Motor Company in 1958. It's a "Frankenlathe" with segmented iron bearing headstock, hardened and re-ground bed, correct tailstock but with handwheel and screw from 9" lathe, twin lever gear box, and taper attachment with the wrong bed clamp. But he fit it all together and got it straight and it's a very smooth and accurate machine.

My 9C was my dad's lathe that he bought new in 1936. It's still in excellent shape with minimal bed wear.

My 9 Jr (also a 1936 model according to the "old" South Bend) I bought from a widow lady in 1974. Her husband had used it mostly to run a buffing wheel for polishing re-built medical equipment. The pores of the bed were so full of polishing residue that it took more than 5 years for all of it to come out. With new spindle bearings, it has turned out to be a very nice lathe with some of its original finish left.

My 10L came from a heavily guarded under-ground government facility in New York, purchased sight unseen from a Gov't auction. At least that's what the guy I bought it from in the mountains of WV told me. They wouldn't even let him in the gates, they brought it out with a bullet-proof, machine gun laden forklift and loaded it on his trailer.

My 10K came new directly from the factory in 1980. I'm the first owner.

Mine was sold to the US Navy in 1943. Its a 10L.

My grandfather in law had it in his company in San Diego Ca in 1956. Old photo shows it there.

He worked as a civilian for the US Navy in San Diego during the war. He was also an inveterate and expert scrounger.

It came to me as a gift when the company closed down in 1997.

My 10K came from Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids IA. (Now Rockwell Collins) I bought it in the mid 70's. Included lever collet closer, collets by 1/16, step collets and closers to 5" as I remember, steady, follow rest, 2 chucks, faceplate, drive plate. 4 pos, carriage stop.

My 14 1/2 was purchased by Southern California Edison and used on the Hoover Dam. After there it ended in some school.

My 10K is from Plaza.
Since I was buying it sight unseen, I wanted from somebody I trusted.

RIP, Joe.

My 11" was sold to the Ohio River Sand Company in 1927 for install on the Steamer Duffy, I purchased it from a used tool company in New Orleans about 20 years ago who purchased it from a widow of a machinist who went in a nursing home. After her husband passed she painted it bright green (ways, chuck and all)....which preserved it well.

I found my Model A 9 on craigslist in Detroit. The gentleman that I purchased it from had owned it for over 60 years.

My heavy 10, with a 4.5 foot bed, was ordered by the Marietta Airplane Assembly Plant in Marietta, GA in October 1942 and shipped in January 1943.

In 1942, the Federal government built a large manufacturing plant in Marietta where Bell Aircraft Corporation produced 665 B-29 bombers that helped the United States defeat Germany and Japan in World War II. By 1945 the large government-built assembly plant provided employment for more than 28,000 workers. After the war, the “bomber plant” closed but was reopened in 1951, during the Korean War (1950-53)

I purchased my lathe from the widow of a man that made parts for experimental aircraft. Ironically he did not know the history of this lathe and it's use in WWII to make airplane parts.

I have attached an image of the Southbend serial number card.

Vlad

My 9A was inherited from my dad who was the original owner. He bought it in Albuquerque, NM in 1952.

My 16 x 60 was bought in a rural area on the East side of OKC off of an ad on a bargain shopper. My 16x48 was bought from the original owner who bought it after WWII, a repair shop in Piedmnt OK when they had an estate sale in about 1998. My other 16X48 was bought at an auction in OKC

My heavy 10 was purchased new in the early sixties for a high school industrial shop class. It came to me when it was going to be scrapped and I rescued it.

John Strange said:

It seems with lathes there comes stories, and the South Bend serial number/date of shipping info is certainly the start of a long and interesting one, but in many cases it’s likely an incomplete one all the same.

In terms of more recent history (be it from a school, a factory, some barn, a Navy vessel, or who knows?) where did your lathe come to you from?

Mine followed me home from the production facility of an industrial air horn manufacturer that has been in business for over 100 years.

Click to expand...

Mine came from South Bend!

Vladymere gr said:

My heavy 10, with a 4.5 foot bed, was ordered by the Marietta Airplane Assembly Plant in Marietta, GA in October 1942 and shipped in January 1943.

In 1942, the Federal government built a large manufacturing plant in Marietta where Bell Aircraft Corporation produced 665 B-29 bombers that helped the United States defeat Germany and Japan in World War II. By 1945 the large government-built assembly plant provided employment for more than 28,000 workers. After the war, the “bomber plant” closed but was reopened in 1951, during the Korean War (1950-53)

I purchased my lathe from the widow of a man that made parts for experimental aircraft. Ironically he did not know the history of this lathe and it's use in WWII to make airplane parts.

I have attached an image of the Southbend serial number card.

Vlad

Click to expand...

B 29s were not used in Europe during WW 2

My 13" and Hardinge Cataract (bought years apart from different sellers) both came from Gleason Works. The company that makes GM rear end gears and stuff.

DoAll grinder came from a Xerox model shop, and my mill was in a filter factory before going to a machinery dealer in Ohio.

Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk

My 16 inch that I bought out of a surplus tool store originally came out of the Onan company in the twin cities as a war lathe. It was in poor shape due to the job that it was assigned to, and the inexperience of the operator. The bedways and the carriage mating surfaces were worn so badly as to allow the bottom of the carriage to rub against the bed. I corrected this by machining off the bottom of the carriage to allow some clearance. Also the threads on the lead screw was rounded over for about 16 inches near the chuck. I had to make a new lead screw from scratch using the good threads on the original lead screw, and making two set-ups to complete cutting the threads. The operator at Onan used the lead screw threads for longitudinal feed instead of the feed clutch on the carriage. Maybe you remember Onan as the biblical fellow who fell out of grace with the Lord for casting his seed upon the ground.

I also had to install a new compound rest. I bought this lathe mainly to mount my Tru Trace hydraulic tracer attachment. The lathe cost me $600 and the Tru Trace cost me $900. After my alterations and repairs to the lathe, I am pleased with it. I have machined over 300 oak stair spindles and newell posts for my home in Wisconsin.

My heavy 10 came out of Long Island, NY. I paid $750 for it. No chucks or attachments came with it. I bought it from a PM member, and hauled it home on a 2-wheel trailer. I do not know the history of where it originally came from, so it is sort of an orphan. The tailstock came from another lathe, so it's spindle is maybe .010 high. It needed a cleaning and a paint job. I bought a taper attachment from another PM member. It turned out to be a good lathe with a date of manufacture somewhere in the 1980's, and it has all the bells and whistles that a respectful lathe deserves.

These bits of lathe history make for interesting reading. Keep'em coming.

Thanks